[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 61 (Friday, March 31, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16029-16030]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-06369]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No. ED-2017-ICCD-0046]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Impact 
Evaluation of Parent Messaging Strategies on Student Attendance

AGENCY: Institute of Education Sciences (IES), Department of Education 
(ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is 
proposing a new information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
May 30, 2017.

ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the 
information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2017-ICCD-
0046. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted 
electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal 
mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. Please note that comments 
submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period 
will not be accepted. Written requests for information or comments 
submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the 
Director of the Information Collection Clearance Division, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Room 224-84, 
Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Meredith Bachman, 202-245-7494.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Education (ED), in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with 
an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing 
collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact 
of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's 
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in 
the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed 
information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The 
Department of Education is especially interested in public comment 
addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to 
the proper functions of the

[[Page 16030]]

Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely 
manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the 
Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden 
of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of 
information technology. Please note that written comments received in 
response to this notice will be considered public records.
    Title of Collection: Impact Evaluation of Parent Messaging 
Strategies on Student Attendance.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-NEW.
    Type of Review: A new information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments; 
Individuals or Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 2,195.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 655.
    Abstract: Most school districts have policies in place to 
systematically address student absenteeism, which remains a 
considerable problem across grade levels in many parts of the country. 
Typical attendance practices include parent notification by letters, 
phone calls, parent meetings, home visitation, and, for students with 
significant numbers of absences, referrals to truancy programs and 
family courts. Such practices can be costly.
    Text messaging interventions are becoming increasingly popular--in 
fields such as public health and prevention--due to their low cost, 
scalability, and evidence of impact. School districts have increasing 
capacity to use technology to implement messaging interventions. Thus, 
an evaluation to determine whether a text messaging intervention can 
improve student attendance in a cost effective manner is warranted.
    To our knowledge, this project is the first multidistrict random 
assignment study of the impact of a text messaging intervention for 
parents on student attendance and achievement. In addition, consistent 
with the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 
(Pub. L. 113-235), which provides the legislative authority to conduct 
this study, this study will focus on low-performing schools with high 
levels of poverty and student absenteeism.

    Dated: March 28, 2017.
Kate Mullan,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of 
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2017-06369 Filed 3-30-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P